LINCOLN UNIV., PA. – On Friday afternoon, the Queens College Knights baseball team returned to the win's column with an offensive onslaught as they used 15 hits and a season-high 14 walks to cruise to a 21-7 win over the Lincoln University Lions at LU Baseball Field in East Coast Conference action.
With the win, the Knights improved to 8-8 overall, 6-7 in ECC play, while the Lions moved to 4-11 overall, 4-5 in ECC action.
The Knights offense was led by seven players recording multi-hit games including a career-high three-hit performance by freshman
Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (3-3 AB, 2R, 3RBIs, BB). While the freshman trio of
Teovaldo Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.) (2-6 AB, R, 4RBI),
Brad Sakellarides (East Moriches, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, 2R, 3RBIs), and
James Mahoney (Levittown, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, 2R, 3RBIs) led the charge with Estevez driving in four runs, while Sakellarides and Mahoney posted three RBI apiece.
On the mound, Sophomore
Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.) (2-1, 6.0 IP, 8H, ER, 13K) earned the series-opening start and tossed a season-high 6.0 IP and career-high 13 strikeouts to pick up his second win of the season. Despite giving up eight hits, the Queens native was barely in trouble all day and struck out the home side in the first, third, and fifth inning. Fazah is the third Knights starting pitcher this season to record 10 or more strikeouts this season against conference opponents.
In the top half of the second inning, the Knights took a 2-0 lead and never looked back. After freshman
Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (2-2 AB, 4R, 2RBI, 3BB, SB) started the inning with a single to left field, he would go on to steal second with one out. After Sophomore
Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) got hit by a pitch, junior
Corey Tingo (Selden, N.Y.) (3-3 AB, 2R, 2RBI, BB) would load the bases with a single to left field.
Mahoney would give the Knights a 1-0 lead with a sac fly out to center field as Hoskins plated home, but an error by the Lions shortstop would allow Rodopoulos to score as the Knights went up 2-0.
But the Knights would open the game up in the fourth, fifth, and sixth inning of play as they combined for seven hits to tally 18 runs to lead 20-1 after six and a half innings of play. The Knights would finish the game with a 21-7 victory.
Records fell on the day as the 21 runs scored are the most runs against a conference opponent since the Knights tallied 20 runs against the Mercy College Mavericks in the 20-10 win on March 23, 2019, in Flushing. Also, it is the most runs on the road against a conference opponent and the second biggest win in three seasons since the Knights won 16-1 against the Lions on April 6, 2019. The Knights pitching staff combined for 18 strikeouts in the win. On the season, the pitching rotation have struck out 10 or more batters seven times and hold a 5-2 record when they strike out the opponents in double digits.
UP NEXT: The Knights will wrap up the three-game series against the Lions with a Saturday (Apr. 24) doubleheader. Game one first pitch is slated for noon.
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